New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1887-10-23
ORR UOFUL STREETS.

OTR UOFUL STREETS
A DAYS smart rain brings out the conditions
forced upon Ncw-Iork by the street vandalS
in strong relief Mayor Hewitt has been doing
his level best to stop the epidemic of pavement
demolition and to give us all chance to get
about during the coming winter without thigh
boots or canoes but the various corporations
engaged in the work are armed with statutory
licenses before which the municipality seems
powcrlcss, and, moreover they have found
city officials who think it their duty to meet
them halfway The general result is that at
the verge of winter the streets are in worse
condition. we will not say than ever before
because that would not signify the actual cir
cumstanccs but in such a condition as no other
city Of the size and consequence OF Ncw-lork
throughout the habitabe glob3 would tolerate
or in fact. would be exposed to, Trenches
half full of water, sidewalks half filled with
piled paving stones, sand and clay and mud
everywhere half the principal thoroughfarcs
blockadcd for blocks together, several streets in
the busiest downtown quarter entirely closed
TO traffic barbados and holes i'll every dlrcc-
tom this is the kind of thing through and
around which a million or so of people daily
scramble and wade and slide and slip.
Ii would be unreasonable to expect the Street
Department to do much in the circumstances
Even when one corporation has worked its Will
on a street and announces that II Is finished
there is no guarantee against the prompt tear
ING ND Of that street by some other corporation
before the pavement has had time to settle.
The Street Department has in several instances
had the satisfaction of seeing the vandals
baI IV
paved. OF course, in every such case large
sums of the taxpayers money is wasted as com
plctcly as though it had been flung into the
North River. But what is any such conSldcra-
ton to the companies which are privileged to
Dush their interests at the sacrifice Of every
body cisc's? 1t is, indeed supposed to bc Il
legal principle that the rights Of one man stop
where those Of his ncighbor begin, and there IS
"A much quoted maxim to the effect that ones
own property must be so used rs not to njVrc
chat of another. But when corporations on the
one hand. and the City Of NcW-lOIk on the
other. are concerned, experience shows that
both equity and justice must go to the wall,
and that even in cases where the utility and
pcrmanchCc Of "A new underground system are
alike prOblcmatiCal, the fact constitutes no
reason for hcsitating 10 accord those who wish
to Try it the ampIc,t authority for making the
streets impossible. II is so easy to persuade
our representatives (or misrcprc>cntatlvcS) at
Albany that new legislation is justified when
the question is Of interfering with the affairs
Of the city. or ,ubiccting the most docc and
supinc taxpayers in the world to further bun
dcns. that it really seems hardly worth while
10 protest any more against the practice.
& oh No. and
+. becoming 50 much more 50 every week, that
with the prospect Of twenty-five mics of fresh
street excavations during the winter the popu
lar heart may be- pardoncd for sinking into dis
coulagcmcnt. No doubt the vandal corpora
tions viii willingly promise to do their spiIlt-
ng gently; but We all know what value 10
attach to such protcstations. The simple truth
is that the public are utterly condemned by
these advcnturcrS. ard that with the easily
procured license of the Legislature IN their
pockets they pay no attention 10 the masses
who are outraged and injured by the tearing
up of the streets. Meanwhile. If IT Is any con-
ISOLATION to the phllosophlcally inclined they
can reflect that if Ncwlork had rational
government, If the people were really repre-
scented in 1t. If the boaStcd sovereignty OF the
American citizen were anything but IN illusion
provided his destiny places him hero, there
woud be no trouble about stopping the mon
strous abuse Of which everybody is now com
planning hclplcssly. In such case the Grand
Jury would have the vandals presented would
promptly indict them the prosecution Of their
injurious work would be cniOncd they them
selves would be fined heavily and made to re-
pair ali damages and the Street Department,
Instructions being removed would be held
responsible for the condition Of our highways
and byways. All this, however Is but such
a dream az briGhtcns the prisoners sleeping
hours. Ncw-York does not belong to the
Ncw-Yoikcrs They do not enjoy the bless
ings Of sclf-govcrnmcnt. They are not soy
crcign people They cannot lift hand TO pre-
vent the perpetual destruction Of their streets.
1t is nice state of affairs. but-What are you
going TO do about il D.?
NORE ELEUdYED TRAINS REQTIRED.
Tho od railroad nconlc pronc In in